Lawmakers use resolutions for varied purposes

Tuesday

Jun 11, 2013 at 8:05 PM

BATON ROUGE — During the regular legislative session that adjourned last week, lawmakers from the Terrebonne-Lafourche delegation created a foundation for future issues by introducing several resolutions that do not have the force of law.

Jeremy AlfordCapitol Correspondent

BATON ROUGE — During the regular legislative session that adjourned last week, lawmakers from the Terrebonne-Lafourche delegation created a foundation for future issues by introducing several resolutions that do not have the force of law.Resolutions are used to express the sentiment of the Legislature, urge Congress to take certain actions or advise state departments on what they should be doing or studying throughout the year. They can also be used to congratulate people and groups as well as change internal House and Senate rules. Rep. Dee Richard, a Thibodaux independent, had a pair of resolutions that fell under the latter category, beginning with House Resolution 121, which would have changed the House rules pertaining to how lawmakers vote.Richard wanted a new rule that allowed voting machines to stay open for only 10 seconds in the House before being closed.He argued that politics are sometimes played on the House floor and lawmakers are occasionally given more time to vote on issues important to the leadership. After hearing complaints about the proposal from fellow lawmakers, Richard shelved his resolution before the House and Governmental Affairs Committee could vote on it this session.He did the same with House Resolution 122, which would have prohibited lawmakers from changing their votes at the end of the day on bills that had been heard and voted on in the same calendar day, which has become routine practice. Before canning the resolutions, Richard confided in the committee that he has always wanted to pass the proposed rule changes. He also wants approval for banning the legislative scholarships individual lawmakers are allowed to award and prohibiting seat mates on the House floor from voting with each others’ machines.“How bad do you want to make this job?” responded House and Governmental Affairs Chairman Tim Burns, R-Mandeville, with a laugh.Several other resolutions from local lawmakers, however, were adopted this year.Senate Resolution 84 by Sen. Bret Allain, R-Franklin, makes a request of the Louisiana State Law Institute, a research arm of the Legislature, to study the feasibility and constitutionality of alternative dispute resolutions as a means of resolving so-called legacy issues.Legacy lawsuits involved litigation filed by a landowner claiming that oil and gas operations caused their property to become polluted and contaminated.How and when such lands should be cleaned and property owners compensated have been the source of highly controversial bills the Legislature debated and adopted in recent years. While some may have thought the issue was resolved, Allain said the institute could come back with recommendations before the 2014 regular session to help resurrect the topic. “We’ll see what they say, but I like the idea of having an independent body look at the issue,” he said. Alternative dispute resolutions refer to legal procedures for settling claims that do not involve lawsuits, such as arbitration, mediation or a mini-trial. Turning attention to a topic where a ball gets kicked around, rather than ideas, Sen. Norby Chabert, R-Houma, passed Senate Resolution 202 requesting that the Senate Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and International Affairs study the possibility of attracting an existing Major League Soccer franchise or expansion team to Louisiana.Chabert said soccer is growing in popularity in the region, and MLS does not yet have a presence in the southeastern United States. He added that a “franchise or expansion team in Louisiana would create jobs and attract soccer enthusiasts from across the nation to Louisiana.”With House Concurrent Resolution 169, Rep. Joe Harrison, R-Napoleonville, convinced the Legislature to ask the governing authorities of public secondary schools to offer a new credit for an elective course that would teach the curriculum of the Future Leaders of America’s Gulf, or FLAG.It’s a nonprofit organization that was formed by high school students to focus on educating and informing youth about the “plight of the Louisiana Gulf Coast region.”FLAG members investigate and report on environmental, economic and community issues, Harrison said, and they develop leadership, journalism and project-management skills.Meanwhile, three other resolutions were passed that should pique the interest of business and industry. Chabert had Senate Resolution 197 asking the Senate Committee on Revenue and Fiscal Affairs to study the potential benefit of an economic tax incentive that would benefit vessel owners who purchase boats and barges built in the state.Such a tax incentive could also be used by those who domicile their vessel operations and home bases within the state, Chabert said.Sen. Troy Brown, D-Napoleonville, introduced the other two, including Senate Resolution 92, which directs the state’s economic development secretary and executive director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission to make public contractual and employment information relative to businesses involved with the Gulf Opportunity Zone and Quality Jobs programs.Brown said it’s an accountability measure and could help the public determine whether the incentive programs are being wisely used. He also authored Senate Resolution 97 to create the Southeast Louisiana Task Force for Growth and Opportunity, which would serve Ascension, Iberville, St. Charles, St. James, and St. John the Baptist parishes. The charge of the task force would be to “assess the required development and enhancement of human resources, transportation, health care, law enforcement, housing, education and infrastructure.”Other resolutions passed by members of the Terrebonne-Lafourche delegation this session included: — Senate Resolution 94 by Allain to designate the week of June 17 as “Louisiana Entrepreneurship Week.”— Senate Resolution 185 by Allain that commends Heather Gros on being named the “Teacher of the Year” by the St. Mary Parish School Board and Bayou Vista Elementary School.— Senate Concurrent Resolution 34 by Brown that designates April 30 as “Alpha Phi Alpha Day at the Louisiana Legislature” and commends Alpha Phi Alpha for “107 years of exemplary leadership.”— Senate Concurrent Resolution 38 by Brown that commends Robert Lee Jackson for “his years of dedicated service to his community.”— Senate Resolution 11 by Brown that congratulates Southern University Law Center on its 65th anniversary.— Senate Resolution 12 by Brown that recognizes April 22 as “Marathon Petroleum Corporation Day.”— House Concurrent Resolution 92 by Rep. Gordon Dove, R-Houma, that expresses condolences on the death of Mike Voisin of Houma. — House Concurrent Resolution 138 by Dove that recognized May 22 as the “Louisiana Society of Professional Surveyors Day at the State Capitol.”— House Concurrent Resolution 162 by Dove that commends Staff Sgt. Christopher G. Simms for his honorable service with the Louisiana Army National Guard and the state of Louisiana.— House Concurrent Resolution 163 by Dove that commends Sgt. First Class Russell S. Clark for his honorable service with the Louisiana Army National Guard and state of Louisiana.— House Concurrent Resolution 186 by Harrison that commends Jesse Dugas on his “50 years of service to his community and the state of Louisiana.”— Senate Concurrent Resolution 31 by Sen. Gary Smith, D-Norco, that commends Hahnville High School head football coach Lou Valdin on being awarded the “All-District Coach of the Year” award.— Senate Concurrent Resolution 74 by Smith that commends Rodney Roy Lafon for his 18 years of service as superintendent of the St. Charles Parish public school system on the occasion of his retirement.— Senate Concurrent Resolution 83 by Smith that commends the L’Observateur for earning top honors at the 133rd annual convention of the Louisiana Press Association.— Senate Concurrent Resolution 84 by Smith that commends the St. Charles Herald-Guide for being named “Newspaper of the Year” in Division 4 by the Louisiana Press Association at its annual convention.— Senate Concurrent Resolution 118 by Smith that commends the River Region Caucus and its member parishes for their “cooperative efforts toward improving the quality of life in the region” and designated June 4 as “River Region Caucus Day at the Louisiana Legislature.”

Jeremy Alford can be reached at jeremy@jeremyalford.com.

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